Photo Credit: Nadezhda Buravleva
The following is a summary of “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity/Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance: A Practical Approach to Diagnosis and Management,” published in the December 2023 issue of Allergy & Immunology by Binkley, et al.
Patients who suffer from various chemical sensitivities, now known as idiopathic environmental intolerance, generally seek the diagnosis and treatment of medical specialists who specialize in allergology and clinical immunology. As a result, these patients can get the appropriate care. Patients discuss a wide variety of respiratory and multisystem problems, which they attribute to a large number of triggers that are not connected and often do not cause any pain.
Patients also report a wide range of symptoms that they experience. They may go to tremendous and sometimes ludicrous lengths to avoid engagement with everyday stimuli. They may become unable to function at all, including working or interacting with others and even being housebound. It is possible for a broad range of items, such as meals, clothing, medicines, and even electromagnetic radiation, to act as triggers.
The intake of the odor is often the first step in the process. IgE-mediated or other immunological processes cannot explain the sickness, and clinical immunologists and allergists may not feel suitably competent to provide treatment for persons with this syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by many symptoms that are not easily identifiable. In addition to providing a practical approach to diagnosis and treatment, this article aims to provide a paradigm that will assist readers in comprehending the probable mechanisms that are accountable for this condition.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213219823009613
